My skin peeled off like a snake's!

The consultant who prescribed the drug told me: ‘Well Mary, you look like you have been dropped in a bath of acid

Mary Holder, 46, lost 98% of her skin when her body burst into blisters and burns after she took drugs to treat the disease lupus.

Quinoric was recommended to the mother-of-two even though medics knew in rare cases it could cause painful skin condition Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.

But doctors were stunned by her reaction to the treatment.

Mary, of Chichester, Sussex, was even advised to say her goodbyes to husband Michael, 48, and children Christopher, 23, and Leanne, 18.

She said: “It is the worst pain of my life, your body wants to die. But when you are told to get your family around you because this could be it, you find strength from somewhere.

“I nearly went blind and my hair fell out by the handful. My daughter was so traumatised by the sight of me she only visited me once. She thought she would never see me again.

“The consultant who prescribed the drug told me: ‘Well Mary, you look like you have been dropped in a bath of acid.' ”

Following the illness, Mary launched a 15-month battle for warnings about the dangers of SJS to be included on the drugs packaging.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has now asked Quinoric manufacturer Bristol Laboratories to amend the leaflet which highlights the side effects, so that it is easier to understand.

A spokesman representing Bristol Laboratories said: “We work closely with the MHRA to ensure patients are well informed of all possible side effects.”